US President Donald Trump has said that he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping approved a deal on the future of TikTok's US operations during a phone call on Friday, although there was no confirmation from Beijing.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the call was productive and he appreciated Xi's approval of the deal, which would reportedly see TikTok's US business sold to a group of US investors.
China's official state news agency Xinhua left the outcome of their discussion less clear, with Xi quoted as saying that Beijing welcomes negotiations over TikTok.
TikTok, which is run by Chinese firm ByteDance, was previously told it had to sell its US operations or risk being shut down.
However, Trump delayed implementing the ban four times since it was first announced in January and extended the deadline again to December this week.
During the call, Trump indicated that both leaders made progress on trade relations and agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit at the end of October in South Korea. He also mentioned a planned visit to China in the early part of next year.
While Trump expressed optimism, there remain doubts regarding the specifics of the deal, particularly concerning who will maintain control over TikTok's algorithm, a crucial issue for its future in the US market.
As discussions progress, concerns continue to emerge from US lawmakers about ByteDance's connections to the Chinese government and the implications for American users' data security.
With the stakes rising, the outcome of negotiations over TikTok’s future remains an area of intense scrutiny, reflecting broader US-China relations.
